Taking The Reins Back
by pixiegold
Summary: Tony gives Tim and Kate a surprise test. Will they pass? What's it on? This story does not follow canon and there is some OOC. Not sure if this story should be considered bashing or just some attitude adjustment. Either way you have been warned. I finally finished. I hope you enjoy!
1. Tests

**Disclaimer:** I don't own NCIS or the characters portrayed on television. The story is mine.

**Summary:** Tony gives Tim and Kate a surprise test. Will they pass? What's it on? This story does not follow canon and there is some OOC. Not sure if this story should be considered bashing or just some attitude adjustment. Either way you have been warned.

**A/N:** First, my regular beta is very busy and I wanted to get this posted. So if you see any mistakes please let me know so I can fix them. Thanks. Second, if you have come here to leave flames just leave this story now. I won't tolerate childish ranting about my being mean to Kate or McGee when I have given fair warning that they won't be portrayed in the best light.

**Tests**

Tony had a little surprise, well maybe a big surprise for the two junior agents. He was getting tired of Kate's superior attitude and belief that she didn't have to take orders from him when Gibbs was not around. And now Tim was beginning to emulate her. It's not that they outright refused his orders but would question them or push to have him do the "probie" work.

Kate had claimed he wasn't her boss when they were South of the Boarder but he'd reminded her that he _was_ the boss when Gibbs wasn't there. To keep an argument from erupting he reminded her that even though she wasn't a probationary agent any more she was still a junior agent on the team and he was the senior agent as well as being Gibbs' Senior Field Agent, making him Gibbs' Second.

DiNozzo was aware that the Team Lead had spoken to her. It seemed that as time had passed she was falling back into old habits. The young man was becoming concerned that any hesitance in following his orders could lead to someone getting hurt during a dangerous situation. So he'd come up with a plan and went to see Gibbs the night before about putting it into action. He needed the backing of the Marine to pull it off and the older man would have to make sure that the team was off rotation for a couple of days. The former detective smiled thinking of the conversation the two men had over cowboy steaks the night before.

_**Flashback**_

Tony entered Gibbs house carrying a six pack of beer. He'd been debating how to approach his mentor with his plan when he looked up to see the man in question standing in front of his desk nearly giving him a heart attack. He'd been so deep in thought he missed the older man's approach. Despite what others might think Anthony was almost always aware when someone approached him.

"Be at my place at 18:00 DiNozzo. Bring beer, I'm out." The Marine smirked before heading to the elevator.

How did that man _always_ know when Tony needed to talk to him? He sighed internally; he hoped that in time he would become half the agent his mentor already was now.

Taking a deep breath he could smell the wonderful odor of the older man's one of a kind cowboy steaks. "Hey Boss." The younger agent said in greeting while heading for the fridge to put all but two beers away.

"DiNozzo. Steaks are done. Grab the butter while you're in the fridge." The silver haired man pulled the steaks off the fire putting them on the waiting plates along with a couple of potatoes wrapped in foil.

Tony sat on "his" side of the sofa placing the butter and a beer for his friend on the coffee table. He accepted the plate, "Potatoes too? Awesome. Thanks Boss."

The only answer was a nodded acknowledgement.

The two men cut their steak and ate quietly. Once both men were finished eating the younger agent looked at Gibbs to see the 'what's on your mind' look. It was a good thing that he'd gotten so good at reading his mentor's facial expressions.

Anthony sighed quietly before answering. "Tim and Kate are beginning to give me some real problems when you're not around Boss. Kate has always had some issues with me because she thinks that her education and experience in the Secret Service make her a better agent than a former cop with a degree in gym. I thought it would stop after you'd spoken to her and it did for awhile. Now she makes some of the most inappropriate remarks about me, my social life, and my lack of a 'real' degree. I know that I push the boundary of being inappropriate but I have never crossed it."

"I really don't think she ever changed her mind about my intelligence or ability as an agent. She bided her time until she found an ally in McGee. I can't tell you how many times he's thrown his MIT and John's Hopkins degree in my face insinuating that I have nothing to teach him. After all, I have a degree in Gym, unlike the two of them who have degrees in something important." He paused needing a moment to find the right words to continue.

"You've never cared about what people think about your background before. Why is it a problem now?"

The younger man shrugged, "I don't care but it's gone beyond remarks about my education. Lately Kate has begun questioning my orders or directions when you're not around and McGee has been following her lead."

Gibbs sat up turning to gaze at him intently while demanding, "Are you telling me that those two are not following your orders? How long has this been going on and what have you done about it?"

Tony ran a hand through his hair as he tried to recall when he first noticed the problem, "I think it's been a couple of weeks, might be more. It just became more obvious two weeks ago when Mr. MIT started doing it too. I spoke to both of them individually reminding them that I'm the Senior Field Agent and that I _am_ in charge when you're not around. The first time I spoke to them they behaved for a few days before the questions started again. I spoke to Kate yesterday." He shook his head still shocked at her attitude, "and she just scoffed saying that she didn't understand why I was the Senior Field Agent when she was the better candidate. I reminded her that it didn't matter what _she_ thought, you're the Boss and it's your decision who's the Senior Field Agent not hers. I said that if she had problems with your choice to see you. She just shook her head at me and walked away."

DiNozzo waited for the imminent explosion. It didn't take long. "They won't question your orders when I get through with the two of them! You're their superior no matter _what_ they think. When they question you they question me! If they can't get past their issues with _my_ choice of Senior Field Agent they don't belong on _my_ team!"

Despite knowing the Marine would explode, the younger man was shocked at the vehemence of Gibbs' defense and pleased with the praise. The man was not one to hand out praise very often or lightly. "Thanks Boss."

Gibbs turned and looked him straight in the eye, "I meant it." He tilted his head before smirking, "You have an idea."

Smiling he laid out his plan getting a laugh out of the older man.

Growing serious Tony looked at his friend as he brought up something he felt may upset the older man but needed to be addressed. "Boss, I understand that the head slaps are your way of letting me know you're paying attention to me, and to get me to focus, but Kate and McGee may not see it that way. Either you need to make that clear or you need to stop."

He received a nod of acknowledgement.

DiNozzo continued with some trepidation; he knew the older man wasn't going to like what he said next. "You also need to start treating me like I'm your Senior Field Agent instead of just another agent on the team. The constant competition, angling to get your attention and look good in your eyes is counterproductive when you don't make a real distinction between McGee, Kate and me."

"They believe that they're my equal since I have to _compete_ for your attention and approval just like them. I know you use it to get answers faster and make us better at our jobs. The problem is that you don't make any distinction between the three of us. You don't allow me to do the things that are part of a Senior Field Agent's Job accept the paperwork."

"You need to start treating me like your Second. If you don't, why should they? It will become a matter of do as I say and not as I do if you don't and I don't know if I can continue as your Second if the junior agents can't respect me." He stopped not knowing what else to say. He watched different emotions flicker across Gibbs face while he waited for the older man to speak.

xxxxxx

Gibbs' first reaction was to tell DiNozzo he was full of it. His methods worked to close cases…he forcefully stopped that train of thought. There was a problem with the team and it needed to be fixed. He trusted the young man sitting next to him; he was training him to be his replacement when he retired so it was time to listen and to think about what he'd been told.

The Marine pondered Tony's words carefully. He came to the realization that the younger man had a point. He really didn't treat the three agents differently despite DiNozzo being his Senior Field Agent since before Kate joined the team*. It had never occurred to him that two agents who did well at FLETC would not understand the chain of command. Nor had he considered his method of using competition to make them better agents would give them the idea that it was okay ignore the _fact_ that Anthony DiNozzo was the Senior Field Agent as was to be respected and orders followed.

Caitlin Todd came to the team with a chip on her shoulder that included over confidence that her background gave her some advantages that his protégé didn't have because he'd been 'just a cop'. Despite being a talented profiler she hasn't noticed that DiNozzo was a master at keeping people from seeing the real Anthony DiNozzo. You had to work at becoming his friend; Tony didn't trust others easily and used the Frat Boy to keep people at arms length. It was aggravating that such a smart woman was so blind. She assumed that her first impression of her teammate was accurate and never bothered to reevaluate her conclusions.

He cleared his throat gaining the younger man's attention. "I'll figure out something to keep the competition from interfering with your position on the team. I'll stop using the head slaps if it becomes necessary. There is a condition, no more protecting those two from punishment unless you make sure that their behavior or mistake is corrected yourself. If you really screw up, we'll discuss it in private instead of in front of them." It was as close to an apology that he was able to make. His young friend was worth the effort to apologize if needed, he _was_ sorry that his methods caused problems for his Second.

DiNozzo ducked his head with a shy smile. "Thanks Boss."

_Good, his non apology was heard and accepted. _

"Let's get the details of your plan worked out before I call Morrow to request we be taken off call tomorrow." The two men spent about half an hour hammering out the details. Once they were done they headed to the basement to work on the boat. Over the last year Gibbs had started teaching Tony how to work with wood. He hoped that it would help to make up for his friend's lack of father/son interaction while growing up. Besides, he enjoyed spending time with the gregarious man.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

Tony looked up when he heard the elevator ding to see his victims…er…fellow team members entering the bullpen. He then turned to see Gibbs watching him from the balcony. They nodded at each other smirking. Time for phase one.

"Morning, Probie, Katie. Have a good night?"

Kate answered as she put her things away. "It was fine. I finished reading Certain Prey by John Sanford. Excellent story but I'm sure you wouldn't be interested since it's not published in Playboy. What did you do Tim?"

McGee looked up from turning his computer on, "Uh, fixed a friend's computer. It had a nasty virus."

DiNozzo had internally reeled at the remark about the book that was really low. Time to adjust some attitudes, but first he decided to address her remark about the book. "Well, I hate to disappoint you Kate but I've read all of John Sanford's books and enjoyed them. However I prefer John Grisham." He enjoyed her stunned look for a moment before standing up and grabbing two packets of paper sitting on his desk and headed for Kate's desk. "Now that we've settled that I can read more than just Playboy articles, you have a little test to take."

"Test?" Kate asks in an incredulous voice looking at the paper she'd been handed. "Gibbs didn't say anything about a test. I'm not a probationary agent anymore, why do _I_ have to take a test?"

The Senior Field Agent raised an eyebrow at her questions, especially at her tone.

He didn't get a chance to respond due to Gibbs barking as he strode around the corner coffee in hand, "What are you waiting for Todd, McGee? Get to work."

Tony turned back to his desk hiding a smile when the junior and probationary agents looked like they would've jumped into orbit if it was physically possible at the older man's bark. They hurried to do as instructed once they'd gotten over the shock. He sat in his chair waiting for Kate to react to the first question on the test. She might even glance through the rest of them before opening her mouth.

_*What are the educational requirements to become a Senior Field Agent?  
>*How many years of experience in law enforcement are required to become a Senior Field Agent?<br>*What are the main duties of a Senior Field Agent?  
>*What are the duties of junior agents?<br>*What is the chain of command on the MCRT?  
>*and more.<em>

He didn't have to wait long. "Is this some kind of joke?" Todd asked in an incredulous tone.

DiNozzo watched with interest as Gibbs glared at the female agent. "Do you have a question about the test, Agent Todd?" He asked in a deceptively mild voice. Uh-oh, the Marine used the voice that was a just a warning of the imminent arrival of former Gunnery Sergeant Gibbs if the questions persisted.

The Senior Field Agent smirked watching as her mouth opened and shut a couple of time before she found her voice. "I don't understand why we're being tested on the requirements for a Senior Field Agent. Unless I'm being considered for the position?" His smirk disappeared at her faux pas.

xxxxx

Gibbs stared intently at Kate until she appeared to realize she said something wrong. "You're taking a test because you don't seem to understand what it takes to _be_ a Senior Field Agent. Can you answer any of those questions Todd? Or did you break rule #8 and assume you knew what it takes without checking the facts?" The older man asked with venom.

He watched as she tried to come up with an answer that wouldn't piss him off more. She was failing. He turned to McGee to see a look of shame.

The Probationary Agent spoke without being asked. "I—I'm sorry Boss. I can't answer the questions. I d-didn't check the requirements for a Senior Field Agent only a Field Agent."

Gibbs nodded at the young man who was looking him in the eyes despite his obvious discomfort. "Your honesty just saved some of your ass McGee." He stood up grabbing two books as he headed around his desk first handing one to McGee before tossing the other to Todd who struggled to catch it before it smacked her in the face. "These are copies of the duties and requirements of each position on the MCRT. I expect both of you to read them and answer the questions that DiNozzo gave you. _I'll_ be grading you." He paused to let that sink in.

He moved so he stood by DiNozzo's desk so he could look at the junior agents easily before continuing. "DiNozzo and I came up with this to show you what it takes to do his job as well as your own." The Supervisory Agent turned to glare at Kate Todd, "You're not being considered for the position Todd because you don't even know what it takes to be a Senior Field Agent never mind being qualified to be one."

The Marine paused to look back and forth between the two junior agents. "I _know_ you've shown disrespect to DiNozzo by questioning his orders. He is _my_ Senior Field Agent because he's the best man for the job. By questioning his orders you ignore the chain of command. This is not the way to show that you're ready to become a Senior Agent on a team never mind a Senior Field Agent."

His glare increased when she opened her mouth to say something, "DiNozzo came to me about your attitude. You have ignored reminders from both of us that he _is_ your superior giving him no choice but to report the problem to me. If you don't take this test I'll place a formal reprimand in your file and transfer you to another team. Care to tell me why you think you're more qualified than him, when you can't even tell us what the requirements _are_ for the position Agent Todd."

The older man watched various expressions flit across her face as she seemed to struggle to respond to his accusations without digging her current hole any deeper. She appeared to gather herself with a deep breath before speaking, "Tony only has a degree in Phys. Ed. while mine is in psychology. I'm an experienced profiler while he was just a cop."

She stopped as he stalked to her desk to slam his hand down right in front of her saying angrily, "You need to read this before you say _any_ more. You need to remember that _you_ are the junior agent and _DiNozzo's_ the senior agent even if he wasn't my Senior Field Agent, his status at this agency is higher than yours and _not_ just because he's been here longer. He has more experience as an investigator than you." He struggled not to yell the last few words; he didn't want to be heard in Autopsy.

He took a deep breath before continuing, "By disrespecting him you're disrespecting _me_ and _my_ _choice_ of Senior Field Agent. If you continue after today you'll be off my team. Is that _clear_ Agent Todd?"

He waited until the shock showing on her face cleared and she nodded with obvious reluctance and responded, "Yes sir."

Gibbs ignored the dig at being called sir turning and walking to his desk. "Get to work; we're off call for the day. DiNozzo, get me some coffee." He hadn't missed the look the profiler gave his partner and wanted to remove the distraction so she'd actually start reading.

"On it Boss!" DiNozzo hopped up and left the bullpen with a bounce in his step.

Gibbs smiled internally seeing the bounce as he sat down to work on the waiting paperwork. "Get to work Todd," he barked again when he noticed that Todd was glaring at Tony's back.

**TBC**

* I always thought it was odd that Tony was "promoted" to SFA after Tim had joined the team. It seems to me that he was always the SFA. At the very least next to Gibbs he's the most senior agent on the team and therefore above Kate and Tim all along.


	2. Revelations

**Disclaimer:** I don't own NCIS or the characters portrayed on television. The story is mine.

**A/N:** Here's the next chapter and again it's not betaed. So please let me know if you see any mistakes. I hope that you continue to enjoy the story.

**Revelations**

Two hours later Tony was working quietly at his desk when he noticed McGee stand up and approach him hesitantly. Turning to face the younger man he asked, "Finished McGee?"

The Probationary Agent nodded holding out the test. "I know apologies are against the rules but I owe you one. I'm sorry. I should've realized that Gibbs wouldn't make you his Senior Field Agent if you couldn't do the job. I'd heard the stories about how you and Burley are the only agents to last on his team." Tim McGee looked down than up again to look him in the eye, "I—it's just the pranks, jokes and movie quotes—"

DiNozzo held up his hand stopping the flow of words, "I know how I act Probie. Let me ask you a question. Do you still jump every time Gibbs barks at you? How do you handle crime scenes now compared to when you joined the team?"

The older agent watched his younger friend blink a few times with a thoughtful look on his face before an answer came, "I don't jump unless the Boss is really mad and I don't get sick at crime scenes now. That's why you played all the pranks?"

He smiled proudly at the probationary agent. "Helping to toughen you up was a factor. It also helps us to deal with the darkness we deal with on a daily basis. I've seen cops who burn out before they turn forty from dealing with the death, rape and other crimes. My goal is to keep you, Kate, me and even Gibbs from becoming a statistic. Besides I know that Gibbs will always make sure I don't take it too far usually with a head slap." He rubbed the back of his head with a rueful smile.

"As for the movie quotes, I love movies and like to share that with others. Besides, there has been a few times where my knowledge of movies has helped to solve our cases."

The younger agent nodded in apparent understanding.

The Senior Field Agent turned serious for a moment. "I just want you to remember I may prank you here in the office but never when we're out in the field. Tease you yes, prank no. I will _always_ do my best to make sure you don't get hurt when we're working a scene, remember that, maybe you won't get poison ivy again." Both men scratched involuntarily at the reminder. Tony tilted his head as McGee stayed by his desk. "Go ahead and ask Probie, I'm not Gibbs, I don't read minds."

The young agent cleared his throat before asking, "Why don't you talk about getting your Master's Degree at the University of Maryland?"

DiNozzo studied the younger man realizing that he was honestly curious and not being judgmental.

He didn't get a chance to respond because Kate chose that moment to interrupt sarcastically, "Tony doesn't have a Master's Degree. If he did we'd never hear the end of it."

McGee turned to Kate refuting her statement promptly, "Yes he does. It's in criminology with extra classes in forensic sciences, which are required for the Team Lead on an MCRT. His GPA was 3.8 and he graduated with honors. Once I read that a Master's Degree was a requirement for his position, I did a search of the Universities located in the cities where Tony worked and found that he started the degree while he was working in Philly and finished it while he was working as a detective in Baltimore."

"Good job McGee." Gibbs praised the young man.

Meanwhile, Tony DiNozzo watched their resident profiler try and absorb what she'd been told. He could clearly see the disbelief morph to a frown most likely meaning she didn't like what she heard and she didn't want to believe it. It was time to give the female agent a kick in the pants.

"Still having trouble believing the truth Agent Todd? I know you've realized what a bastard Gibbs can be. Did you _really_ think that a hard ass marine would not only put up with an incompetent subordinate but make him his Senior Field Agent? I've been here three years, plenty of time to kick me to the curb if I wasn't up to snuff. The fact that he didn't should have given you incentive to investigate why he keeps me around, instead you've kept your head buried in the sand. It's not for the movie quotes or my wit."

The Marine imparted, "I keep you in spite of that DiNozzo."

He smiled at the older man before turning to look at Kate again. His smile turned to a smirk at her glare. It just didn't have the same effect as a Gibbs' glare. He stood up so he could move around while he laid out his thoughts on why she was having a difficult time accepting the truth. "I think I know why you're having a problem believing what you've learned today. First you believe that your degree in psychology with an emphasis in profiling has more merit that a degree in Physical Education. You should've looked up the requirements for my degree. I could have gone into medicine, become a doctor. I shared many classes with pre-med students. I had no interest in becoming a doctor; I had already planned on becoming a cop after a career in pro-sports. Breaking my leg only moved up my plans to become a cop.

Speaking of being a cop, you think that being in the Secret Service makes you a better candidate for a NCIS agent. You protected the President, I wrote parking tickets. You bought into my act on Air Force One and have never looked for more, very bad form for a profiler."

Anthony paused while considering his next words. "You thought you had it made when you joined NCIS. A Secret Service Agent is much better suited to be an agent than some dumb cop. It's easy to feel superior to an ex-cop with a degree in 'gym' who acts like a clown. When I left Baltimore to join NCIS, I was a detective. Tell me Kate, what do detectives do?"

He waited for an answer that didn't come from the stubborn woman. Smiling like a shark he answered, "Detectives _investigate_ crimes committed against or by the citizens. What do we do here at NCIS?" DiNozzo made a big show of thinking about that before continuing, "We _investigate_ crimes committed against or by military personnel. Wow, what a big change for me to join NCIS. It just boggled my mind and I couldn't handle it." He finished sarcastically.

Tony tilted his head as he regarded Caitlin thoughtfully. "The Secret Service _does_ have an investigative branch which deals with counterfeit money, crimes within the walls of Capital Hill and such. Were you involved with this branch of the Service Kate?" He already knew the answer, but wanted to make her admit it.

Frowning the female agent answered with obvious reluctance. "No, I was part of the President's protection detail. You know that Tony. What has that to do with anything?"

The Senior Field Agent controlled the desire to roll his eyes at his colleague's deliberate obtuseness. He could see that McGee was staring at her with surprise. "That must mean that you never investigated a crime before joining NCIS. So, you lack investigative experience, except for what you've learned here. Yet you think that you should be promoted to Senior Field Agent. Not going to happen on any team for at least two more years because the job _requires_ both a Master's Degree and experience as an investigator, which is something that you don't have yet."

Turning to pace again he continued, "So let's recap. You joined NCIS with the idea in your head that I was some dumb jock, class clown that somehow landed a job as an agent. Maybe it was _daddy's_ money or connections that got me the job. Hate to break it to you Katie, but I was disowned when I was 12 years old. Everything I have I earned through hard work and determination.

Let's get back to the subject at hand. You joined Gibbs' team with a huge chip on your shoulder. Your incorrect assumptions about me led you to think that you would be promoted to Senior Field Agent any time now simply because you have a degree in psychology. You never considered that a Senior Field Agent would be required to have _experience_ as an investigator plus a better education than you do. You have consistently broken rule #8 since joining NCIS." He felt he'd said enough so moved next to Gibbs who'd leaned against his desk while the younger man was speaking.

DiNozzo watched the Senior Agent out of the corner of his eye as the man studied Kate. Gibbs was frowning heavily as he spoke, "You must not think much of my ability to choose a Senior Field Agent, Todd if you think that I gave DiNozzo the job because he was here first. Do you think that there aren't any other agents in this agency that might have wanted the position of Senior Field Agent to the MCRT that actually _have_ the requirements needed for the job? I never even looked at them, I chose the best man for the job."

"How can you say he's the best man for the job? He's immature and a playboy who spends more time quoting movies, or chasing women than working."

"Did you even finish reading the book I gave you? Did you hear McGee?" Gibbs asks angrily finally losing his infamous temper. The two men watched a blush creep up her cheeks. The silver haired man shook his head in disgust. "You've read it, listened to his reasons for the way he _acts_ and you still persist in thinking that he's never grown up. When you don't respect him you don't respect _me_. You might think you're following my lead because I head slap DiNozzo, but it's not a reprimand, it's a reminder to focus on the job at hand. DiNozzo, explain why you've never mentioned your Master's Degree."

Tony grimaced but complied knowing that McGee was curious and he had at least asked nicely. "College was the first time I was allowed to be myself, and make my own decisions. Those were some of the best years of my life. Senior sent me to a military boarding school when I was twelve and cut me off financially because I didn't want to follow in his footsteps. I'm proud of my Phys. Ed. Degree. Since I knew that I wanted a career in law enforcement I minored in criminology. I have every right to be proud of my accomplishments at Ohio State. And to answer the question I see in your eyes Agent Todd, my grades were good enough to get into med. school. Of course that was something that Daddy dearest would have liked so I didn't want it."

"Why don't you talk about your Master's Degree Tony?" The youngest agent asked with genuine curiosity in his voice.

The Italian rubbed a hand over his face before answering, "Several detectives at Baltimore found out about the Master's and thought Daddy dearest paid for it. They gave me no end of grief saying that I was some rich boy playing at being a cop and keeping a real cop from a good job. One of the few cops who didn't believe that was my old partner. When Gibbs recruited me for NCIS I decided that I wouldn't reveal the Master's unless someone asked directly. It seems that detectives aren't the only ones who think my "rich" daddy paid for my education and that I'm just trying to look good." He finished with a dig at the profiler.

He watched the younger man to see his reaction, he was beginning to not care what Caitlin Todd thought.

Tim McGee looked thoughtful before nodding as he said, "I understand. You know I thought like those detectives did at first. I'm sorry for that and for following Kate's lead and treating you like you weren't good enough for your position on the team. It won't happen again." He held out his hand to shake on it.

Tony accepted it smiling, "Thanks Probie."

Their moment was interrupted by a still angry Lead Agent. "This is your only warning Agent Todd. You need to get head out of your ass and see who DiNozzo really is as a person _and_ agent. I won't allow anyone to question my choice of Senior Field Agent. I especially won't allow a _junior_ agent to disrespect him. Take the rest of the day off; reread that book again and the NCIS handbook. Do what McGee did and find out more about the education of your teammate."

He stood picking up a sheet of paper he'd printed while the two junior agents were taking their test. The older man placed it on her desk saying, "This is a list of the paperwork that DiNozzo does for me on a weekly basis. The first part of the list is all the Senior Field Agent's paperwork, the items under the line are the Lead Agent's paperwork but DiNozzo does it for me. He turns all of this paperwork in on time and completed properly. You still have trouble with the forms you have to fill out and it's not even half what he does."

"You have a decision to make, whether to stay on my team or transfer to another one. If you choose to stay and show him disrespect again I'll fire you. Consider this your first write up and only warning. Now go home."

DiNozzo watched Kate Todd pack up and leave with mixed emotions. He hoped that she could get her act together; she had potential to be a great agent. She just needed to remove the chip from her shoulder and realize that she didn't know everything and that the Secret Service didn't prepare her to be an investigator. Gibbs didn't play favorites on the job even if you were his friend off the job.

He was broken out of his thoughts by a quiet question from the Lead Agent, "You okay DiNozzo?"

"I'm good Boss." He smiled genuinely, "I hope she comes around."

Gibbs grunted. "I'm not sure she'll be able to make the adjustment in her thinking and behavior." He looked the younger man in the eye. "She doesn't _want_ to believe that you're more than you appear to be on the surface."

"Uh Boss," the two men turned to look at McGee who appeared to be very uncomfortable. "What will happen if she can't change? Will I be able to stay?"

Tony watched as the older man studied his probationary agent carefully as he came to a decision. "You'll be staying McGee as long as you remember what you learned today. Learning the ropes is part of the probationary period. Learn to speak up for yourself with DiNozzo if the teasing gets outta hand; we'll both admire you more if you do."

The newest agent looked from one man to the other before nodding. "I'll do my best not to let you down Boss. I like working on this team, I've learned a lot from both of you already."

The Team Leader smirked slapping the young man on the shoulder. "Knew there was a reason I picked you for my team. Going for coffee than I'll need to meet with Morrow about what happened today. It's about time that you show McGee how we review cold cases on this team DiNozzo."

"On it Boss!" He turned to his Probie as the older man headed off for his coffee. "Let me show you where we keep our cold cases filed Probie. Then we can work through a couple together. Maybe your nimble computer fingers can help us find more information." He smiled at the younger man receiving one in turn.

"On your six…eh, I can't call you Boss. Gibbs is Boss. Can I call you Chief sometimes?"

Tony laughed quietly proud of his friend for speaking up. Smiling widely he responded, "I like it! And your right, Gibbs is _the_ Boss. But you can just say 'On your six DiNozzo or Tony'. Let's go, the files are this way." The two men headed off smiling.

**TBC**

*Since there is no actual reference on the official site of NCIS for the requirements for a Senior Field Agent I've come up with my own. I think they are reasonable based on what is required of a Team Lead on an MCRT team. The requirement for Lead Agent is a Master's Degree in forensic science or something similar.

*For this story I'm using four years as an NCIS agent. Law enforcement experience can count towards the four years.


	3. Kate's Decision Version One

**Disclaimer:** I don't own NCIS or the characters portrayed on television. The story is mine.

**A/N:** I'm sorry for the long wait; real life can be a bear. My elderly father fell and broke his wrist. It's all healed up, but the scare and taking care of him seems to have sent my muse running. It's mostly back now, I just have to find the time to sit and write. I was determined to finish this story and I have. I hope you enjoy.

**A/N 2:** Thank you to all of the people who have reviewed this story so far. I normally answer all reviews, but my motivation left with the old muse. I _have_ read all of them and thank you for your kind words an am happy you're enjoying the story. I thank you for your patience. I hope the wait was worth it. My beta is still busy so all mistakes are mine.

**Kate's Decision: Version One**

Caitlin Todd sat on her sofa pondering what she'd learned today. She still didn't want to believe that Tony DiNozzo frat boy extraordinaire had a Master's Degree that wasn't paid for by rich daddy DiNozzo. He was just like her first college boyfriend who tried to get her into his bed and when that didn't work he broke up with her telling his friends that she was a frigid bitch in bed. It took her three years before she could get another date and he'd been a transfer student who didn't listen to gossip. DiNozzo was just the same, after a good time and nothing more. She was a good profiler, she couldn't have been wrong could she?

Knowing Gibbs he'd check to see if she'd done as McGee and looked up rich boy's past. Reluctantly turning on her laptop she started doing some real research into one Anthony DiNozzo, Jr. First she looked up the requirements for a Phys. Ed. Degree and was shocked. Tony would only have had to take a few extra classes to major in pre-med. She then looked into the alumni page for Ohio State finding his profile only to be dumbfounded. He'd maintained a 3.8 average with distinctions for both degrees. That was on top of playing two time intensive sports. Digging further the profiler found the same information Tim had about DiNozzo's Master's Degree.

Kate sat back completely flummoxed. According to the information she found Tony was smart _and_ well educated. He brags about his dates and just about anything else, so why hide his education? Despite his explanations she still didn't understand. He had money growing up; she didn't believe for one minute that he'd been disowned. Who would disown their own son? With his family money he could've become a doctor, gone into physical therapy or sports medicine. Why did he become a dime a dozen cop? Actually he could have become an agent right out of college and yet he became a cop. She didn't get it.

The simple answer was that Kate was an intellectual snob and didn't have a high regard for cops, she mistakenly believed that most cops just directed traffic, wrote parking tickets, and chased speeders. In her mind, a police officer's job just didn't measure up to the work NCIS did on a daily basis. She was also under the mistaken impression that detectives didn't need a lot of education to get the position. Caitlin Todd would have been surprised to learn that detectives need to have at least a Bachelor's Degree to be promoted or that the work they do for civilians wasn't much different than what NCIS did for the Navy and Marines just not as high profile as the cases NCIS handled.

Todd sat back looking up at her ceiling feeling frustrated. Did what she learned today made a difference? Could she follow the orders of someone who behaved like DiNozzo did? Gibbs claimed that the "frat boy" was an act but the young woman was sure it wasn't. Unfortunately a young man who really _had_ been an immoral "rich frat boy" had hurt Kate when she was a freshman. This had colored her view of Tony from the very beginning and would keep her from seeing the real man hidden behind the face he showed the world.

Another issue for Caitlin was the Senior Field Agent's unprofessional behavior. Kate had several brothers and as a Secret Service agent she'd worked mostly with men. Those agents had all been professional and worked hard. Tony simply fooled around instead of working where she and McGee struggled hard to get answers for the Lead Agent. She didn't understand how Gibbs tolerated such unprofessional behavior when Anthony DiNozzo didn't contribute to the team. She couldn't hear the little voice in her head that reminded her of his many contributions that led to closing cases, because he seemed to pluck the idea out of thin air or got it from one of his movies instead of hard work.

Caitlin made her decision. She had worked hard to make it in the Secret Service, and in her new career in NCIS. She would not be driven out of the MCRT by Anthony DiNozzo. She would just have to prove to Gibbs who should really be his Senior Field Agent.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

Senior Agent Jethro Gibbs entered the bullpen very early the next morning. He had some transfer paperwork to complete. It might not be needed today but he would need it sooner rather than later. The Marine had a gut feeling that Kate wouldn't be able to alter her perception or attitude towards DiNozzo.

The young woman seemed to be unable or unwilling to get past her preconceived notions of his Second. Todd had potential and he wanted that potential for his team but he wouldn't allow anyone to disrespect his Second in Command now that he was aware of the extent of the problem.

After the confrontation the day before, Gibbs had gone home and done some more thinking. Tony had been right about how he acted towards the younger man and the junior agents led them to see DiNozzo as an equal instead of their superior regardless of his position as Senior Field Agent. He had been at NCIS longer; therefore he was a senior agent while Tim and Kate were still junior agents.

Gibbs used competition between the three agents believing that it made them better and got the results he wanted faster. An unanticipated result of the competition made it appear that the three agents were equals when they weren't. Another issue was his inability to give Tony a compliment without adding a put down in the form of a joke. The Marine had no problem giving McGee and Todd praise for a job well done, but he had difficulty doing the same for DiNozzo.

After a second shot of bourbon and few hours of sanding Jethro had discovered where his difficulties with expressing his thoughts towards the younger man originated. It had been an unconscious effort on his part to keep his new agent at arm's length. The Marine had known right from the beginning that Anthony DiNozzo would be a danger to his carefully protected heart. He had seen very quickly that there was a lost little boy inside the grown man who needed a father figure and deep down he wanted to be that father. He missed being a father, but losing his girls had nearly destroyed him. In their line of work, the risk of losing Tony was too much for him to risk getting emotionally attached to the younger man. However, it was too late and Tony had found a way into his battered heart as the son he and Shannon had wanted as a brother for their beautiful daughter.

It was time to fix his mistakes and change how he interacted with the younger man in order to demonstrate that DiNozzo was worthy of being his Senior Field Agent and Second in Command. If the two junior agents couldn't shape up, there were plenty of other agents who could take their place.

The Marine was severely disappointed by Todd's attitude. The young woman was a supposed to be a profiler but she never looked beyond her first impression of DiNozzo to see the great investigator and more importantly the good man hidden behind the image. If she decided to stay on his team, he would give her a week to demonstrate that she was willing to adjust her attitude before forcing a transfer. Snorting quietly, Gibbs figured that Kate would try and "prove" she was the better agent. If that was the case, Caitlin Todd would find that the second "B" for bastard was well earned.

His thoughts were interrupted by a cheerful, "Hi Boss!" from DiNozzo as he walked into the bullpen area carrying two coffees. The younger man placed the coffees on his desk before tossing his bag behind the desk than bringing the larger coffee to Gibbs desk.

With flourish the Senior Field Agent placed the cup on the desk saying, "One large marine strength coffee hand delivered and made especially for you. I'm sure that Kate is going to test both our patience today."

The Lead Agent tilted his head in agreement, and then raised an eyebrow to show he was always interested in hearing the younger man's reasoning behind his insights.

With a knowing look Anthony responded, "I saw her face too Boss. She's not going to give up on the idea that I'm an immature frat boy who either got lucky or daddy dearest got me this job. If I noticed, I _know_ you did. I wish we were wrong because I think Kate has the potential to be a good agent; _if_ she stops making assumptions based on first impressions and running with them. She's had ample opportunity to see the truth but she hasn't, or doesn't want to see the real me. It's…"

The younger agent stopped suddenly causing Gibbs to look so he could see what DiNozzo had. Kate and Tim were exiting the elevator. He turned back to see his Second sitting down and going through the process of starting up his computer. And everyone thought he was sneaky.

"Morning Gibbs, Tony." Caitlin greeted the two men.

McGee added a quiet, "Good morning Tony. Good morning Boss."

The Lead Agent merely nodded at the two junior agents.

Tony greeted cheerfully, "Good morning Probie and Katie. I hope you both slept well. We have lots of cold cases to work on today!" His Senior Field Agent turned towards the silver haired man and said, "Hey Boss I forgot to tell you that McGee found a lead on one of our cold cases. He still needs to do some more cyber sleuthing but I think he's onto something."

Gibbs looked at the blushing computer genius and nodded as he said. "Good job McGee." His phone interrupted any further comments. He answered briskly, "Yeah, Gibbs." He wrote the information provided by dispatch before snapping his phone shut. "Gear up. Dead Corporal, Arlington Cemetery."

"McGee, gas the truck." He barked as he headed towards his Senior Field Agent and handed him the paper. "Call Ducky and have him meet us there. We'll take a car, McGee, Todd take the truck."

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

Three days and many hours spent gathering evidence, speaking to the various people who knew the Corporal and investigating all possible leads resulted in the arrest of the corporal's killer, and thanks to Gibbs, a confession from said killer. Now it was time to complete the necessary reports to officially close the case.

Tony had already finished his paperwork for the case and was working on his monthly requisitions to keep the team supplied with all the things they needed to do their job. He was waiting for McGee and Todd to finish their reports and give them to him. DiNozzo was reasonably sure that this would be Kate's breaking point. She had never learned how to fill out her paperwork properly because she would refuse to make any corrections that he noted. He had gotten tired of Gibbs yelling at him when the paperwork wasn't finished. So he just fixed it himself, though he made sure that the original paperwork was saved by keeping a hard coping and making his own file for the corrected work leaving Kate's right where she saved it.

Today Anthony had no intention of fixing her mistakes himself. This would be a test of Caitlin's ability to follow his lead. If she didn't than she was off the team. He knew the Marine would sign the paperwork he'd begun the other day without blinking an eye…after he tore another strip off her hide.

Two folders were placed on his desk interrupting his inner monologue. Caitlin was already headed back to her desk but Tim was still there.

"I thought I could do a coffee run while you review our reports. Gibbs has been in MTAC almost an hour. He's going to want one so I thought I'd get all of us something." The younger man said quietly.

Tony smiled, "Good thinking Probie." He looked at the time. "Actually you should get us some lunch along with the coffee. I have a hankering for one of Della's* specials."

McGee smiled. "That sounds great. Gibbs loves her coffee too."

The Senior Agent chuckled as he pulled his wallet out and handing the younger man enough cash to cover his and Gibbs' lunch. "That he does McGee. Get both Gibbs and I her special of the day and our normal coffee orders."

"No problem Tony."

The junior agent collected some money from the profiler before heading to the elevator.

By the time Tim McGee had returned with coffee and lunch Gibbs had returned, thanked the junior agent for the coffee and left for autopsy to see Ducky. DiNozzo was done reviewing and correcting the reports. Only Kate Todd's needed correction.

Standing he took Kate's folder and placed it on her desk before returning to his and opening his lunch.

He didn't get a chance to even look at his meal when and angry Caitlin exclaimed, "Why did you make all these notes on my report Tony? I didn't make any mistakes."

The Senior Field Agent raised both eyebrows at her tone. He stared at her for a couple of minutes before answering calmly, "You have never filled out your paperwork correctly, you simply refused to make any corrections I gave you. I got tired of Gibbs yelling at me because I hadn't handed all our reports to him yet so I fixed them myself."

DiNozzo took a deep breath before continuing, losing his temper would be a very bad idea right now, he'd leave that up to Gibbs. "After Gibbs and I spoke to both you and McGee about respecting the chain of command I decided I wasn't going to cover for you anymore. If you feel that your report is fine the way it is, simply reprint it and I'll pass it onto Gibbs as is. It's your ass." He finished dismissively and returned to his lunch and remaining paperwork.

xxxxxx

Kate stared at Tony for a moment shocked and a little outraged. He was trying to get her into trouble, she just knew it. Gibbs would have told her that her paperwork needed fixing not DiNozzo. She ignored the very tiny voice in her head that reminded her of the times her paperwork had been returned with corrections on it. Caitlin had ignored the corrections because she knew they came from the Senior Field Agent. Jethro Gibbs was her boss, not Anthony DiNozzo.

Determined to prove that she was the better agent she reprinted her paperwork and replaced the marked up papers before placing it back on the older agent's desk. The young woman returned to her desk confident that her work was top notch and didn't need any "corrections" from Anthony DiNozzo.

xxxxxx

Gibbs returned from autopsy quietly, sitting at his desk to begin reviewing the paperwork for their latest case and eat his lunch. His forkful of food hovered midway between the container and his mouth as he stared at Kate's paperwork. What the _hell_? This looks like the work of a probie, not a junior agent.

Putting his fork back in the take-out container he stood moving to DiNozzo's desk before pausing to regain his temper. It was time to stand by his decision to support his Second and to do that he needed all the facts before he started yelling. As a result he asked in a calm voice, "Why does Kate's paperwork look like a probie's paperwork instead of a junior agent's?"

The younger man picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth placing it back on his desk before responding. "Well, Boss, this is how Agent Todd has done her paperwork since she started working at NCIS. She consistently refused to make any corrections which I pointed out to her no matter how many times I would give them back to her. She would just put them in the shredder, reprint her original paperwork and give it back to me. I got tired of you yelling at me because the paperwork for our cases wasn't done. You never asked me _why_ I hadn't passed it in, just demanded it be on your desk by the end of the day or else. So I made the needed corrections on her reports and gave them to you."

His Second gave Gibbs a look which clearly conveyed his anger at being blamed unilaterally. "Today I decided that I wouldn't be covering for her anymore and would give her one chance to make any needed corrections. I handed it back to her with the corrections she needed to make and told her _why_ they needed to be done. I guess Agent Todd didn't believe me or thought that I was trying to get her into trouble. So I told her that she could just reprint her report and I would pass it on without fixing it for her as I had in the past." DiNozzo picked up a folder from his desk handing it over to the Lead Agent saying, "Here are copies of Agent Todd's original paperwork from the last month here at NCIS. I have kept all of her original paperwork to cover my ass."

The Lead Agent took the folder while scrubbing a hand over his face berating himself again for not being a good Team Leader _or_ friend towards Tony since Todd and then McGee joined the team. He met his friend's eyes stating, "Won't happen again, DiNozzo." He felt tremendous relief when Tony's posture relaxed and a small smile briefly graced his face.

Next he opened the folder flipping through the paperwork to see several notes pointing out each area that needed to be corrected and a date on the top right of each report. A separate note stated that the date referenced was when DiNozzo corrected the report.

_Damn, I really screwed up. I was too focused on getting the cases closed and some part of me liked being _the _boss so I let the chain of command be bent and forcing DiNozzo to do more work than necessary._ Setting these thoughts aside to mull over while working on his boat he looked at Tony again. "I want to be sure I heard you right DiNozzo. You've been fixing Todd's reports since she joined?"

"Yes, Boss."

"Did you do this for McGee, too?" The older man thinking that his failure would be complete if the answer was yes.

The Senior Field Agent shook his head replying, "No, McGee fixed his reports himself. After a couple of weeks, his paperwork didn't need correction."

Gibbs looked at the youngest agent and nodded at him, relieved that one of the junior agents had listened to DiNozzo, before turning to glare at the younger woman. It was time the chip on Caitlin Todd's shoulder was firmly knocked off. He realized that Todd suffered from the idea that being a Federal Agent was better than being a cop. It was high time to disabuse her of that idea. "You seem to think that protecting the President should make you a better candidate as a NCIS agent than a former cop. So tell me Agent Todd, how many criminal investigations did you handle when you were part of the Secret Service?"

The profiler's face showing confusion, responded, "What does that have to do with my paperwork Gibbs?"

His eyes narrowed angrily, "Just answer the damn question Todd!"

"None."

He turned to look at Tony, "How many investigations did you handle DiNozzo before joining NCIS?"

DiNozzo scratched his cheek as he answered in a thoughtful manner, "Well, I achieved detective status six months after transferring to Baltimore PD. Danny and I handled an average of…2 new cases per week, kept on top of our unsolved cases and we were required to review at least two cold cases each week. I guess about 104 cases before I met you Boss."*

The Marine turned to study his female agent, hoping he'd see understanding in her eyes. She merely stared at him blankly. Damn, apparently she was really stuck on the idea that being a former Secret Service Agent made her better than a former cop. Her ignorance would get someone killed.

"Tell me Agent Todd, what does the acronym NCIS stand for?" he asked in a deceptively mild voice.

Her look of puzzlement increased as she answered. "Naval Criminal Investigative Service. What does that have to do with anything?"

Gibbs' temper finally blew, "You _brag_ about your education, protecting the president, claim you're smarter than DiNozzo but you can't see that your background didn't prepare you to be an _investigator_! Before DiNozzo joined NCIS, he _investigated_ crimes against civilians. Now he investigates crimes against Navy and Marine personnel and families. I don't see much difference between his job as a _detective_ and his job as an _agent_. He has spent years as an investigator while _you_ spent your time protecting the president. You have been at NCIS for _one_ year. So tell me how your one year of experience as an investigator makes you better qualified than my Senior Field Agent who has at least six _years_ experience as an investigator."

Todd opened and closed her mouth a couple of times. He could hear Tony's voice in his head comparing her to a goldfish. She snapped her mouth shut before staring at him appearing to be at a loss for words.

He waited for a minute before stating impatiently, "I'm waiting for an answer Agent Todd."

That seemed to snap her out of a stupor, "Tony is immature, and unprofessional. I don't believe that he was disowned; no father would disown their kid. I'm sure that becoming a cop than an agent is a form of rebellion. He dresses in expensive clothes, even if they are 'casual'. On the other hand I'm professional; I've been a Federal Agent for several years. I earned my degree while Tony partied all through college."

Kate's vitriol was halted by a clearly enraged Anthony DiNozzo who had moved from behind his desk to slam both of his hands on her desk causing her to jump and lean back looking nervous. The look on Tony's face was ugly, "you should really get rid of those rose colored glasses Todd! I'll _tell_ you what kind of man can disown his son. He's the man who told his _eight_ year old son that DiNozzo's don't cry. He told me that while we were standing at my mother's grave as she was buried. This is the same man who _forgot_ he brought his son with him to Hawaii and left him in their hotel room. Doing _business_ with a rich divorcé was more important than his son. After being inconvenienced with making arrangements for said son to fly back to New York he decided that I was too much of a burden and shipped me off to RIMA than another boarding school for my high school years."

"The disownment became official when I chose to attend Ohio State so I could play football and basketball instead of going to Harvard Business School where I could follow in his footsteps." The younger man sneered when he noticed the shock on Agent Todd's face. "You heard right Todd. I had the grades for Harvard but I have no desire to be just like my asshole of a father! This is also the man who told me I would end up in a gutter someday simply because I chose to follow my dreams and not do what he wanted me to do. _That_ is the kind of father who would and _did_ disown his son."

Gibbs' fury at Tony's father was just short of the killing rage that sent him after Hernandez. He had a passing thought to stop his Second but decided that even _he_ didn't want to tackle this particular bear.

"Are you still having trouble believing a father can be a total asshole? How about Navy Captain Mike Watson? Ring a bell? He's the man who had his wife and 9 year old _blind_ _daughter_ kidnapped so he could steal two million dollars. At least dear old Dad was just a neglectful, self absorbed bastard. Do you want to know how many calls I handled when I was a cop where a _loving_ father beat the shit out of his kid, often times to death? Too damn many. And you _can't_ _believe_ that my father would disown me?"

"As for the clothes, I finally gained control of a trust fund my mother left me in the event of her death. I had to fight _dear old Dad_ to gain control of my own money! Not that I knew about the fund until I was 28 and a new lawyer, who wasn't in Senior's pocket, notified me that I was running out of time to claim it before it would go to my sperm donor. He tried to keep me from finding out about it because I didn't deserve it were his words at a meeting my attorney and I attended."

The younger man turned to look at Gibbs, his face still an angry mask, "I'm taking the rest of the day off. All of my reports are done and on your desk. She better be gone by tomorrow. I won't work with her ever again." Turning DiNozzo strode behind his desk to grab his bag. As he hefted it over his shoulder he turned to look at McGee. "Could you shut down my computer McGee? I'd probably break it if I did it." He didn't wait for a reply as he headed for the stairs. Apparently he didn't want to wait for the elevator.

The Marine took a quick look at Tim and saw that he too was glaring at the profiler before moving to do as DiNozzo had asked. He turned his attention back to Caitlin Todd. She was staring blankly with her mouth hanging open at the spot Tony had been standing before her desk.

Needing her attention he barked, "Todd!"

Her head shot up to stare at him with wide eyes. She tried to speak, "Gibbs, I…"

After slashing his hand through the air to stop her attempt to speak, he spoke in a low, menacing voice that he usually reserved for suspects, "You're off my team Todd. You may even be out of a job once I talk to the director. In the mean time you will _fix_ the mistakes on your current report. Once you're done with that you will redo the reports in this folder until I tell you to stop." He tossed the folder towards Todd causing all the reports in the folder to scatter around her.

He spun on his heels and headed for the stairs which led to the director's office. He needed to get the woman off his team and away from him before he did something he wasn't sure he'd regret.

xxxxxx

Kate watched Gibbs jog up the stairs knowing that she was being kicked off the team. Although Tony had scared her when he tore apart her belief that he'd been exaggerating about being disowned she still couldn't see what was so special about him.

She focused on McGee when he spoke, "I never thought you could be so spiteful but I was wrong…_again_. When I became a member of this team I thought you were better than Tony. Hell, I thought the two of us were smarter than him. Now I see that he was always the better man—person. He may like to tease and play pranks, but he was never cruel or spiteful. Looking back, most of your remarks or comebacks were meant to hurt Tony, not tease him." He shook his head, "And now you refuse to believe you're wrong about him. I don't think you're as good at profiling as you think you are, if you can't see beyond Tony's behavior to see the man underneath."

Reeling back in her chair Todd asked, "What the hell are you talking about, McGee?"

Tim answered with certainty in his voice, "I've been watching Tony since Gibbs reamed us out the other day. He really is a good agent, his mind is always going. I used to see the same look in the eyes of other MIT students. They were able to work things out in their head instead of needing pen, paper or a computer. I'm ashamed that I didn't see it before. I just hope that Tony will forgive me. I think there's a lot I can learn from him."

Caitlin Todd stared at her soon to be former team member shocked. There was no way that Tim could be right. Tony played games, pranks and didn't do any work.

A quiet but still deadly sounding Gibbs interrupted her thoughts as he stepped in front of her desk, glaring angrily. "McGee's right. DiNozzo does his best thinking when he occupies himself with something other than the puzzle he's trying to solve. He would have never lasted on my team six months, forget three years if he didn't excel at his job."

The Marine stepped back still glaring. "Morrow thinks that you still have potential but need reminding about the chain of command, report writing, and working as a team. First, you're suspended for one month. Once your suspension is over you'll be returning to FLETC and attending the courses he thinks will help you learn the right way to behave as an agent at NCIS. When you return to active duty it will be as a probationary agent again. How long you remain a probie is up to your new team leader."

The older man pointed towards two guards who had arrived carrying a couple of boxes and said. "You have thirty minutes to pack your things. Anything you don't get packed up will be thrown out." He held out his hand. "Give me your gun and badge."

Caitlin handed over her gun and badge in a daze. She was being punished because of DiNozzo.

The Senior Agent's voice cut off her train of thought, "The only one to blame for your current situation is yourself Todd. Now get moving! You have twenty-eight minutes left."

The older man turned to look at McGee as she finally started going through her drawers. "Good job defending DiNozzo, McGee. Keep it up. I'm going for coffee. Security will see that Todd is escorted out of the building today."

Agent Todd listened as Tim hesitantly responded, "Ah, Boss…Could you let Tony know that it's okay if he's not ready to meet me in the gym today. He was going to begin teaching some of the things he's learned so I can be better back up."

Kate chanced a brief look to see how the Senior Agent reacted to see a proud look on his face as he looked at the junior agent. "I'll make sure that time is set aside at least once a week for both of you in the gym. Any time DiNozzo can't make it, I'll help you." Spinning on his heel, the older man left to get his coffee.

Kate watched Tim blush before he returned to working on his computer. She quietly packed up her personal belongings thinking that it really wasn't fair.

**TBC (just a small epilogue left)**

* No idea of any of the food places around the Navy Yard so I'm making up one.

* I have no idea how many cases most police departments handle on an average basis so I'm making the numbers up to make my point. If someone wants to give me more accurate numbers I'll consider fixing it.


	4. Epilogue for Kate's Decision Version One

**Disclaimer:** I don't own NCIS or the characters portrayed on television. The story is mine.

**A/N:** I'm sorry for the long wait; real life can be a bear. My elderly father fell and broke his wrist. It's all healed up, but the scare and taking care of him seems to have sent my muse running. It's mostly back now, I just have to find the time to sit and write. I was determined to finish this story and I have. I hope you enjoy.

**A/N 2:** Thank you to all of the people who have reviewed this story so far. I normally answer all reviews, but my motivation left with the old muse. I will do my best to reply but I will read all of them. Thank you for your patience. I hope the wait was worth it.

**Epilogue for Kate's Decision: Version One**

**Six Weeks Later**

Caitlin Todd learned how quickly and far rumors traveled. She was already a pariah when she went to FLETC. None of the other students wanted anything to do with her and the professors barely tolerated her presence in their classes.

Returning to NCIS was even worse. Her new team leader let her know that he only agreed to take her because Morrow requested it and that one serious reprimand would result in her immediate termination.

No one on her new team wanted to work with her; and they let her know that it was her disregard for Tony DiNozzo, who they respected and liked. The Senior Field agent pointed out that Gibbs had a reputation for keeping only the best on his team. He also told the profiler that Tony was always willing to help other teams with their cases no matter how busy he was with his own cases.

Caitlin Todd finally lost the chip on her shoulder when someone pointed out that she lost her place on the best team in the agency because she couldn't get over herself. If she didn't change, she could very well be fired. All because she didn't think that Anthony DiNozzo had anything useful to teach her about being an agent. On that day she made a resolution to learn everything she could so she could become a better agent and more important, a better person.

xxxxx

Team Gibbs worked as a three man team for six months before adding Probationary Agent Paige Stratton. Here was a young woman fresh out of FLETC who was eager to learn. Gibbs and Tony had taken their time looking for a new team member to fill the empty desk. Over those six months both men reviewed hundreds of agent's files and even "tried" out several agents before finding Stratton. The young woman was an army brat who understood the chain of command thanks to her father. She had wanted to join the army but couldn't because of night blindness. Fortunately this condition didn't stop her from becoming an agent. Agent Stratton proved to be an excellent addition to the MCRT and because of her military background was not afraid of Gibbs.

The first time Tony had witnessed this lack of fear, he laughed heartily. He was smart enough to wait until he'd gone down to autopsy. The Senior Agent had been much better about treating the younger man better, but DiNozzo wasn't taking any chances. He liked his head where it was, thank you very much.

**The End**

* No idea of any of the food places around the Navy Yard so I'm making up one.


	5. Kate's Decision Version Two and Epilogue

**Disclaimer:** I don't own NCIS or the characters portrayed on television. The story is mine.

**A/N:** I'm sorry for the long wait; real life can be a bear. My elderly father fell and broke his wrist. It's all healed up, but the scare and taking care of him seems to have sent my muse running. It's mostly back now, I just have to find the time to sit and write. I was determined to finish this story and I have. I hope you enjoy.

**A/N 2:** Thank you to all of the people who have reviewed this story so far. I normally answer all reviews, but my motivation left with the old muse. I will do my best to reply but I will read all of them. Thank you for your patience. I hope the wait was worth it.

And I posted the rest of the story. Wohoo! Thanks for reading.

**Kate's Decision: Version Two and It's Epilogue**

Caitlin Todd sat on her sofa pondering what she'd learned today. She refused to believe that Tony DiNozzo frat boy extraordinaire had a Master's Degree that wasn't paid for by rich daddy DiNozzo. Tony acted just like the frat boys she'd met in college. All they did was party, sleep with girls while their rich daddy paid for their grades. What was worse was DiNozzo played at being an agent, while the rest of them worked hard to solve cases. She was a good profiler, there was no way she was wrong about her teammate.

Sighing, she turned on her laptop and started doing some research into one Anthony DiNozzo, Jr. simply because Gibbs would know if she didn't follow orders. She really didn't believe that there was anything for her to find but no one made a fool out of her and Caitlin Todd was determined to prove that she was right.

First she looked up the requirements for a Phys. Ed. Degree and was shocked. Tony would only have had to take a few extra classes to major in pre-med. It wasn't the "soft" degree she had believed it to be. Kate then looked into the alumni page for Ohio State finding his profile and was shocked to learn that DiNozzo had a double major, Phys. Ed. _and_ criminology. To top it off the man had maintained a 3.8 average with distinctions for both degrees. That was on top of playing two time intensive sports. Digging further the profiler found the same information Tim had about DiNozzo's Master's Degree.

Kate sat back completely confused. According to the information she gathered, Tony was smart and well educated, that is _if_ DiNozzo, Sr. didn't pay for his son's grades. He brags about his dates and just about anything else, so why hide his education? It failed to cross her mind that her earlier thoughts about Anthony's time in college, parties, drinking, sex, were the exact reasons he'd given Tim and her about not bragging about his degrees. He'd experienced the scorn of people who believed that Senior had paid for his education _and_ his grades. The hazing that people had put the senior agent through made his pranks child's play in comparison.

Todd was proud of her degree and accomplishments and saw no need to hide them from others. It never occurred to her that she her bragging made her sound as arrogant as she accused DiNozzo of being, when she went on and on about her degree and being a former Secret Service agent.

Another thing she didn't understand was why Tony didn't talk about his childhood. He had money growing up, so he must have had a wonderful childhood, getting anything he wanted. Kate should have been wondering why he chose to be a cop than an agent rather than follow in his father's footsteps, if his childhood had been so wonderful. A large part of Kate's problem was that she lacked real life experience. Todd didn't realize it but she was somewhat sheltered by her family as the "baby" of the family. Then she had gone straight from college into the Secret Service. Even though she had studied about child abuse, its affects and other such psychological issues, she had never encountered the truly dark and ugly side of life. Protecting the President was a far cry from investigating crimes and the terrible acts humans were capable of committing despite her belief that her former career made her better than a former cop.

This lack of life experience also fueled Caitlin Todd's disbelief that her teammate had been disowned. Who would disown their own son? With his family money why didn't he become a doctor, gone into physical therapy or sports medicine? Why did he become a dime a dozen cop? Actually he could have become an agent right out of college and yet he became a cop first. She didn't get it.

The simple answer was that Kate was an intellectual snob. One had to have a college degree in something important to be smart; Todd never considered the fact that not everyone could afford college. So there are many "smart" people out there without a vaunted degree. Her opinion about cops was rather low, and believed Federal Agents were superior. In her experience, cops directed traffic, wrote parking tickets, and chased speeders. Even though she knew intellectually that detectives investigated crimes, they were still cops and not as good as federal agents. Caitlin would have been surprised to learn that detectives needed to have at least a Bachelor's Degree to be promoted or that the work they do for civilians wasn't much different what NCIS did for the Navy and Marines. The reality that she had no investigative experience, or any forensic knowledge, made her just like any other probationary agent at NCIS, who had to gain experience before being able to become a senior agent, never mind a Senior Field Agent never crossed her mind.

Todd sat back looking up at her ceiling feeling frustrated. The profiler needed to decide if what she learned today made a difference. Could she follow the orders of someone who behaved like DiNozzo did? Gibbs claimed that the "frat boy" was an act but the young woman didn't buy it. Kate had brothers and as a Secret Service agent she'd worked mostly with men. Those agents had all been professional and worked hard. Tony simply fooled around instead of working.

It dawned on Kate that all the thinking she had done tonight boiled down to one thing, could she treat Tony DiNozzo with respect or not. The Team Leader had made it perfectly clear that her tenure on the team depended on how she treated his Senior Field Agent. And since she just didn't see why DiNozzo deserved to be her superior despite what she had learned today it would be better for her to transfer and avoid a black mark on her record.

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Senior Supervisory Agent Jethro Gibbs entered the bullpen very early the next morning. He had some transfer paperwork to complete. The Marine had watched Kate leave yesterday and could tell from the set of her shoulders and the look in her eye the probability that she would be able to treat DiNozzo with the respect he was due was very low.

The young woman seemed to be unable or unwilling to get past her preconceived notions of his Second. Todd had potential and he wanted that potential for his team but he wouldn't allow anyone to disrespect his choice of Senior Field Agent including himself. Having subordinates who hesitate to follow an order in the field could be fatal. The safety of his people depended on following orders from a superior, not just from a Team Leader.

After the confrontation the day before, Gibbs had gone home and done some more thinking. Tony had been right about how he acted towards the younger man and the junior agents led them to see DiNozzo as an equal instead of their superior regardless of his position as Senior Field Agent. He had been at NCIS longer, and had more experience as an investigator; therefore he was a senior agent while Tim and Kate were still junior agents, even if the younger man hadn't been his Senior Field Agent.

Gibbs used competition between the three agents believing that it made them better and got the results he wanted faster. An unanticipated result of this competition made it appear that the three agents were equals when they weren't. Another issue was his inability to give Tony a compliment without adding a put down in the form of a joke. The Marine had no problem giving McGee and Todd praise for a job well done, but he had difficulty doing the same for DiNozzo.

After a second shot of bourbon and few hours of sanding Jethro had figured out the root of his problem with treating the younger man with the respect and care he deserved. It had been an unconscious effort on his part to keep his new agent at arm's length. The Marine had known right from the beginning that Anthony DiNozzo would be a danger to his carefully protected heart. He had seen very quickly that there was a lost little boy inside the grown man who needed a father figure. Deep down he wanted to be the father Tony needed. He missed being a father, but losing his girls had nearly destroyed him. In their line of work, the risk of losing Tony was too much for him to risk getting emotionally attached to the younger man. Sitting on the lone seat he acknowledged that it was too late and Tony had found a way into his battered heart as the son he and Shannon had wanted as a brother for their beautiful daughter.

Gibbs knew it was time to fix his mistakes and change how he interacted with the younger man in order to demonstrate that DiNozzo was worthy of being his Senior Field Agent and Second in Command. If the two junior agents couldn't shape up, oh well. There were plenty of other agents who could take their place.

The Marine was severely disappointed by her attitude. Caitlin was a supposed to be a profiler but she never looked beyond her first impression of DiNozzo to see the great investigator and more importantly the good man hidden behind the image. If she decided to stay on his team, he would give her a week to demonstrate that she was willing to adjust her attitude before forcing a transfer.

His thoughts were interrupted by a cheerful, "Hi Boss!" from DiNozzo as he walked into the bullpen area carrying two coffees. The younger man placed the coffees on his desk before tossing his bag behind the desk, picked up the larger coffee and headed to Gibbs desk. With a flourish the Senior Field Agent placed the cup on the desk saying, "One large marine strength coffee hand delivered and made especially for you. I figured you'd need it to finish the transfer paperwork for Kate."

The Lead Agent tilted his head, raising one eyebrow wanting to know how his Second knew.

Smiling sadly Anthony answered, "I saw her face too Boss. She's not going to give up on the idea that I'm an immature frat boy. If I noticed, I _know_ you did. I wish we were wrong because I like Kate and think that she'll make a good agent once she gets past making assumptions and running with them. She's had ample opportunity to see the truth but she hasn't, or doesn't want to see the real me. I can only guess that she was hurt by a real player. It's…"

The younger agent stopped suddenly causing Gibbs to look so he could see what DiNozzo had. Kate and Tim were exiting the elevator. He turned back to see his Second sitting down and going through the process of starting up his computer. And people thought he was sneaky.

"Morning Gibbs, Tony." Caitlin greeted the two men.

McGee added a quiet, "Good morning Tony. Good morning Boss."

The Lead Agent merely nodded at the two junior agents.

Tony greeted them cheerfully, "Good morning Probie and Katie. I hope you both slept well. We have lots of cold cases to work on today!" His Senior Field Agent turned towards the silver haired man and said, "Hey Boss I forgot to tell you that McGee found a lead on one of our cold cases yesterday. He still needs to do some more cyber sleuthing but I think he's onto something."

Gibbs looked at the blushing computer genius and nodded as he said. "Good job McGee. Keep digging."

The Lead Agent turned to see Todd standing in front of his desk. "What can I do for you Agent Todd?"

Caitlin took a deep breath before replying. "I respectfully request a transfer to another team. I don't think that I can treat Tony with the respect his position requires. I like working for NCIS and would rather work for another team than lose my job."

The Marine studied the younger woman for a few moments trying to discern how sincere she was being. Very sincere he decided. "Alright Todd. I'll get the paperwork filled out. I'll speak to Morrow and see if there's an opening here in DC. Make a list of places that you might like to work if there isn't an opening here."

"Yes Gibbs. Thank you."

He returned to the transfer paperwork he already had out. Gibbs looked over at his Second to see how he was taking the news. The younger man was looking on with resignation in his eyes before he went back to his own work. Though the Marine hated to admit he was wrong he realized that DiNozzo had been right about how others perceived his own reluctance to show others his complete faith in his Second and his lack of enforcing the chain of command probably led to Caitlin Todd's actions and beliefs about Tony. That would not happen with any new agents on his team. Frankly, he was getting tired of training agents only to have them leave for one reason or another. Usually it was a personality conflict with _him_ not DiNozzo.

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Six months later Caitlin Todd was doing well with Steve Balboa's team though the first few weeks were very rocky. She missed her old team and learned to her regret and chagrin that Tony really was a capable agent and that she didn't know as much as she thought she did. Thompson, Balboa's Senior Field Agent took her aside one week after she transferred to the team. He reamed her out for not knowing how to fill out paperwork properly.

"Did you ignore Tony's corrections thinking you knew better? I'll bet he protected you from Gibbs' wrath by making the corrections for you. That won't happen here. If you can't get your act together you won't last on this team or at NCIS."

He'd shaken his head at her finishing his tirade saying, "You worked with one of the best agents in DiNozzo but ignored him because you believed his shtick. He is the Senior Field Agent on the MCRT, only the best are even considered for any MCR Team. And our MCRT is headed by one of the most demanding agents at NCIS; no one lasts on Gibbs' team unless they perform to his standards. For someone who prides herself on being smart, you behaved like an idiot. You made assumptions about DiNozzo based on your first meeting and didn't bother to verify if he was really like he acts. Until you learn that not everything is as it seems you'll never move beyond being a junior agent. You have a lot of work to do to make up for lost time."

The profiler also watched Gibbs' team when she had a moment or two. The new agent on the team seemed to fit right in with the others seamlessly. She watched as the Marine's behavior towards Tony changed. He treated the younger man with respect and tolerant affection. This new attitude, and the recent dressing down she'd received opened her eyes and allowed her to see the real Tony DiNozzo. He was a capable agent even though he still played pranks, quoted movies and talked too much. Watching from the outside allowed her to see that his way of looking at things and solving cases was unique but quite effective. Kate was ashamed to realize that her own prejudice had prevented her from seeing her former team mate as a great agent. It was too late for her to go back, but the young woman vowed to herself that she would learn from her mistakes and become a good agent.

**The End**


End file.
